Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-19

tory for ages? The whole world has hear
it, and is familiar with it, yet the tale
ever new, and mankind viii listen with syn
pathy again and again to the wall OF SUITE,
ing Erin, until some measure of justice b
done her in Gods good time.
i l have already said that Ireland receive
the faith in the first instance without sheG
ding the blood of a single martyr, and thi
is the one of the chief glories Of the Eme1
aid Isle. But a day was yet to daw'
when the Irish people was to be
come a nation Of martyrs and confessors G
the Faith. The ingenuity of the most crue
tyrants was exhausted to invent method
If torture for them, and never did human
malice go further to effect the destruction
of q nation, and the eradication of ever.
noble sentiment and every cherished prin
ciple, than in the case of Ireland. Ever,
instrument of torture that was ever de
vised, every appliance of bodily pain, ant
mental anguish was made use of. to turf
her people away from the Faith of thei
fathers. The rack, the gibbet, the halter
the triangle. the lash, these were the stronI
arguments England has cours to, first
to show them what treason they wer'
guilty OF, in being Irish, and second, wha'
an objectionable sin they committed in be
ing staunch Catholics. The letting loos'
among them of a licentious and fanatica
soldiery, the suborning Of false witnesses
the bribing OF informers, all the induce
ments of wealth and position, that can bt
held out to a child to betray his parents
and kinsfolk-all these things were tried in
turn, to the end, that they might shake TIT
constancy of the Irish people. The rightfu
possessors of the soil were driven away
sessed from time immemorial. They were
/ prescribed and outlawed as felons, theil
lands were ALLEVIATE ! to their inhuman op
pressors.. Ali the avenues of wealth and
honorable station were barred againss
them. Discomfort was fostered amongst
them, one day to ripen into open revolt
and rebellion, that their tyrants might
have, at least, u shadow of excuse for un'
sheathing the sword against them, and ut
terly exterminating them, root and branch
Nay, even knowledge and learning were
forbidden them under extreme penalties
whether sought home or abroad. OF
course, the exercise of the duties of the
holy religion was denied them by every ex.
quisite refinement of despotism. Then
was the minister OF religion pursued like a
hunted deer, and chased from one obscure
hiding place to another. No pen can de.
scribe the horrors of the worse than dem
oniacal persecution to which Ireland and her
unhappy children we're subjected. In a
word, the attempt was made to utterly
brutalize the people, so that, since they
would not live and embrace an heretical
creed (their utter abhorenee,) they should
die the death of dogs, to the delight of
their prosecutors and the Internal demons.
Bnt in vain was all this savagery against
the stout hearts of the Irish people in
those darkest days of Ireland's history.
In vain, too, were all the allurements
held to them to change their faith. Rather
they refuse bread offered to them on base
conditions, than to consent to play false
to conscience, and to commit the sin Of
Judas against our Lord.
Again I ask, has the world ever witnessed
a sublime constancy like this OF the Irish
people? Contrary to all human expecta.
tiOn, and all human experience, the faith
p~rospered, or rather the afflicted people
chung to their God, to their religion more
firmly then ever. And let me ask you dear
friends, are you not now prepared to
meet unmoved,-ratber let me say with
pity-the sneer of the %scoffer, the derision
of the infidel, who know not, nor care to
know, that the highest glory OF man, or
of a nation is fidelity to God? You, dear
fri 'nds, who are Irish, or of Irish de-
scent, who are the representatives in this
age OF a long line of glorious martyrs and
cenfessors of the %faith-shall l say it?-the
remnant Of a nation of martyrs, you, who
have parted with much that men hold
dear. out of loyalty to principle, loyalty
to religion, God helping, you cannot be de-
from p%ersevering steadfastly to the
end in spite of the stupid gibes and taunts
Of ignorant heritics and unbelievers.
They often say, that the confidence OF
the Irish people is visionary and baseless.
They tell that their faith is not worth the
sacrifice. They assert that God cannot
approve of this voluntarily s%elf-annihila-
tion OF a nation for conscience's sake.
They declare that it were better to ad-
with the age, than to preserve intact
faith handed down to them by their
But, thanks be to God! so have
never been taught. Thanks be to
God, SO they never believed. The law, as
they read it, uni thus: Thou shalt love
The Lord. thy God, with thy whole heart,
Ind with thy whole soul, and with thy
whole mind, and with all thy strength"
That, first of all, the rest will follow in
'ood season; for, Seek ye first the king-1|
OF God and his justice, and all things |
Use shall be added unto you,' is the word
II eternal truth, which can never. never
The Irish nation had the choice pro-
'osed to them, Deny your faith, or pre-
for the worst" They rejected with
corn the insulting proposal. Ireland
purned the allured bride, and the alterna-
i've was hers. Then it was that the
word OF persecution entered her loving, |
soul. But she was unconuuered
hen, as she is u~nconquered still. Yes, she
) even now victorious, though she
all and lost all in the con.
est, save only her honor and her
aith, whilst the victor lost honor,
shall lose all his conquests as well,
4 that day namely, when the divine
romise comes to be fulfilled in favor of
Erin. The meek shall possess the
and. When the Jews. after having cruel
ed our Lord, beheld him hanging on the
rnel tree of Golgotha, they Knocked and
coffed at him, saying: "If thou be the son
I God come down from the cross" He
ad put himself into their savag hands to
'ork their pleasure upon Him; it was their
our, and the power of darkness.
So, when the Irish nation had been for
subjected to the extremity of
lch a fierce persecution, that the very
atures OF it's sons were changed by reason
I the sharpness OF the long agony; when
re hneal descendants of kings and valiant
1ieftains, whose names adorn the pages oil
took on the appearance of an in
rior race, when the open brow, and brave
and laughing eye OF the light-hearted
were depressed, dimmed. defaced, then
inst Hea ven fhen "a tho Iove foun%oJ